Sinners and Saints II

Chapter 26

Knock, knock!

Olivia opened her eyes slowly. She had almost fallen asleep from all that crying, rolling herself up in her bed, holding on tight to her pillow. Her eyes focused on the door as she saw a hand hold the door open while a small foot passed through it, followed by tiny hands holding on tightly to the food tray.

A smile forged its way on her face the moment she had realized who it was. Olivia forced herself up from her bed gently as she watched her daughter walk into the room as carefully as she could so as not to let the tray fall. Amy closed the door right behind her, stopping right in front of the door so she didn't have to interrupt the moment.

"Mummy?" Grace slowly walked to the bed.
"I noticed you were feeling too sad to come downstairs for dinner so I got you some orange juice along with your dinner. I also got you medicine in case you're in pain." She slowly stopped the moment she got to Olivia's bed.
Olivia looked at the tray, the smile on her pale lips spreading even more as she slowly took the tray from Grace. Olivia paused when she noticed a rose in the tray.

"My God father wanted me to give you that rose. He said you always felt better whenever you smelt it."

Olivia raised her head to Grace's.
"Did he?"

Grace nodded.
She had tears starting to form in her eyes just by hearing those words but she managed to push it back. She couldn't let Grace see her that way, she couldn't let Grace see her cry.

"My daughter is all grown." Olivia managed to keep the smile on her face as she slowly reached for the tray and placed it on the table beside her bed. She turned back to Grace.
"Thank you so much for this. I'd eat them all until my belly bursts."

Grace laughed a bit in excitement. You could tell she was happy hearing Olivia make jokes after the day she had. It didn't take long though, the thought of seeing her mother the way she did earlier rushed back to her memory and her smile was replaced with a frown.

"Mummy, are you sick anywhere?" She had worry back in her eyes as she stared at Olivia.
"Do you need to go to a hospital? I noticed you've been in your room all day, and you've been crying too. If you're in pain, I could ask my God father to take you to see a doctor. I'm sure he won't mind."

Olivia exhaled, hurriedly taking a sniff to stop her from bursting into tears again. She couldn't even help herself from being so emotional. Randy's words had hurt her a lot. It had dug out a lot of pain from her past; a past she was hoping to forget with Rafael.

"Come here." Olivia stretched her hand towards Grace so Grace could go into them. Grace did exactly what she wanted.
"Whenever I'm sad, all I need is to hold you like this and I'm going to be okay."

"Really mummy?" Grace hugged her too. She made her grip on Olivia even tighter.
"Then I'm going to hug you like this for a long while so you don't get sad anymore."

Olivia nodded her head. It was really all she needed. She couldn't explain it but having her daughter in her arms gave her all the strength she needed. She shit her eyes for a while and a drop of tear fell from it and then another. She couldn't help it anymore, she was bad at it, bad at feigning strength. At least Grace couldn't see and that was all that mattered to her.

Amy could feel the cold breeze that swept through her skin while she just stood there, looking at the both of them. She forced a smile on her face and then folded her arms.

She exhaled.

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"I can't believe the chairman would do that to you."
Amy said in a tone as low as possible, so she didn't have to wake Grace up from her sleep. "And I thought he was better than that wife of his."

Olivia let out a weak sigh.

"What is wrong with all these rich people and their many absurd rules concerning marriage? Why do they have to attach power to everything, even their own happiness and future? I mean, it's never that deep. Who is he to talk to you like that?"

"You know Amy," Olivia slowly turned to the table and then placed the rose Grace had brought in for her earlier on it. She needed a moment without having to smell it anyway.
"I can't actually blame them. I can't blame the chairman for acting the way he did. Rafael is still his son and he only wants the best for him like every parent would. He's right, Rafael is pretty successful and I'm- me. Just a lady that fell from grace to grass. it's easy for anyone to think I am trying to take advantage of him. I know how things like this work Amy. You have no idea the kind of friendships and allegiance things like marriage bring to people's doorsteps. It's every parent's dream to make sure their legacy stays strong even after they die even if it has to be through marrying their children off to successful people."

"Even if," Amy had to cut her off. "it doesn't change the fact that he was unnecessarily rude and mean to you. How can he just ask you to throw away all your feelings for Rafael like that? He doesn't even have an idea what you both have gone through for each other, what sacrifices you've both made to get here right now. You saved his son's life. How can he take you for granted and call you useless?"

Olivia exhaled.

"I don't know anything anymore Amy," she rubbed her arms.
"I don't know why I'm this emotional either. I've gone through this before. I could have sworn I was supposed to be used to this by now but when he said those things to me, it was almost as if it was happening again, this time, ten times worse. I guess I got caught up in the moment and forgot who I actually am. I have nothing, no power or influence, no name. I'm practically a nobody and I can't offer Rafael or anyone anything. I guess I was just too stupid to not see this coming. I guess I really hoped this time would be different, that my imaginations would become real instead on focusing on the reality itself...on what's really in front of me." She exhaled.
"so when he reminded me of who I am, of what I am, of my past, it just broke my heart."

"That's just nonsense Olivia." Amy cut her off.
"You might have never come from a family with a big name like the Okonkwos or the Silvers, but you came from a generous one that gave you all they had, all these rich men never gave to their children, love. You didn't bring this relationship upon yourself, you're not in this alone, Rafael is too and you must be silly to think he'd let you go because his father wants you to. It's twenty-twenty one, no one cares about things like this anymore. People get married to people who has had it worse than you and a good percentage of them did it for love. What on earth does that old man know anyway? Who does he think he is to judge you and try to pay you off like that? Fifty million?" Amy snorted. "Just how cheap does he think you are? How can he think anyone's feelings can just be bought like that? I feel really embarrassed for Rafael."

Olivia shut her eyes for a second.
She really didn't want to remember the Cheque that was sitting in her handbag. She didn't want to remember anything anymore.

"Speaking of Rafael, I really think you shouldn't keep him in the dark anymore. You two should be in this together. If he finds out what his father did, he's going to be really pissed, especially at you for not telling him."

"I don't know Amy."

"Well, you have a fifty million cheque in your bag right now Olivia, it's up to you to decide what you're going to do with it. Are you going to keep it?"

"Of course not." Olivia snapped. "I love Rafael Amy, more than I've ever loved anyone. I don't think I can give up on him especially if he hasn't given up on me too. It just doesn't feel right to do that to him."

"So you're going to return it then?"

"I have to." She said .
"I'm just tired of living by everyone's rules Amy. I can't let the chairman or his wife or anyone else decide who I get to love and be with anymore. I want to live for me from now on, by my own rules. I've given it some good thought, I'd have the cheque sent back to the mansion on my way from work."

A huge smile appeared on Amy lips.

"That's more like it." Amy slowly reached for Olivia's hands. Olivia reached for hers too. They both held on to each other and Amy squeezed her hands.

"Everything is going to work out well in the end. Everyone is going to be happy. You're going to be happy and that's the only thing you should care about right now, your happiness, not anyone else's, yours."

Olivia let out a smile and then squeezed Amy's hands too.

"Thank you." She mouthed.